“You’re not going back in there, are you?” my wife asked, wondering what might happen next. Halfway on our drive to the lake, we’d experienced one of those fast food service debacles. A simple order that should have taken five minutes had stretched to what seemed like twenty. And then part of it was missing, adding even more time to …
Identifying “What Matters”
“A life is not important except in the impact on other lives,” Jackie Robinson, #42 In life’s frantic pace it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. We get caught up in lots of important stuff, or at least that’s what we tell ourselves. Climbing the ladder of success. Making money. Saving for retirement. Seeing our kids involved in all …
Handling Adversity and Disappointment
Handling Adversity and Disappointment “Sorry, we chose someone else,” or “We had to make cuts,” or “The diagnosis isn’t good.” You’re stunned. It’s a gut shot. It was all coming together. All signs seemingly pointing in the right direction. Then all of a sudden it fell apart. What happened? It doesn’t make sense. It’s like you’ve been ambushed. The athlete …
Navy SEALs and After-Action Reviews
Navy SEALs and After-Action Reviews I’ve become fascinated with the Navy SEALs this past year as I read: Make Your Bed and Sea Stories by Admiral William McRaven, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, Transformed by Remi Adleke, and Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. The fascination grew as my grandson, a high school senior, committed to the …
How to Be Focused – And Flexible
How to Be Focused – And Flexible Every great athlete knows the power of focus. And the value of being flexible. They focus on training. On strength and conditioning. On building the neuromuscular pathways that enable consistent execution time and again. They stay in the game – mentally and physically. They don’t allow themselves to get distracted and thrown off …
Giving Them the Opportunity to Grow and Flourish
“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” – John Maxwell Just as I began to make the call to “fix the problem,” her hand shot across the desk and grabbed mine. “Steve, stop.” “What is it?” I asked, phone held halfway between my ear and my desk. “Let me have a …
Living Life in Alignment with Your Priorities
Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least – Goethe Was your life a whirlwind in 2017? Seems like last year just started, and yet here we are looking at 2018, many of us thinking this year will move even faster. Minutes slip into hours, into days, into another year. But whose drumbeat …
Having the Courage to Act
Leaders who make a difference bring vision. A vision of what is possible. A vision that goes beyond the status quo. A vision for change – for the better; for themselves, their organization, for those they lead. But without the courage to act upon that vision, nothing changes. Nothing. The vision fades and complacency invades. Time marches on. What were …
The Importance of Vision
I love studying leaders who make a significant positive impact. I study what makes them tick. How they respond to challenges. What they’re willing to do that others aren’t. How they operate with humility and at the same time demonstrate great courage and boldness. For the most part, their approaches are unique. Yet in one aspect of their lives, they’re …